Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons (The Audiobook)

It's what he was raised to do. Most parents would hide or destroy any evidence so clearly demonstrating their child's failures, but-lucky for us-Greg Fitzsimmons's family has preserved each mistake in its original envelope like a trophy in a case, lest he ever forget where he came from.

Funny man gives insight into his life growing up in an Irish family, and his life as an adult. I found myself laughing out loud a lot while enjoying this book. Good, clean, light humor. Would recommend it to just about everyone.

We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration, and the Power of Song

Gloria Gaynor’s number-one hit single "I Will Survive" debuted in 1978 to overwhelming success. Shortly thereafter, the single went double platinum. Over three decades later, it still strikes a chord among men and women everywhere. Over the years, the disco legend has received thousands of personal messages from adoring fans whose lives have been transformed by this timeless song. Here, she shares 40 of those inspirational, true stories.

My husband had recently announced he was leaving me after 24 years. I was pretty broken up about it when I started listening to this book. It is very inspiring. It would be great for anyone who has suffered a loss. There are stories about people who lost a spouse, a child, a job, were injured in an accident, had suffered a gross betrayal, etc. This book points out that we can survive just about anything if we are determined to do so. P.S.: my husband changed his mind and we are back together. But now I know I can survive such a loss if I ever have to again.

Breaking Point: A Joe Pickett Novel Book 13

The recipient of Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, New York Times best-selling author C. J. Box has won almost every honor in his field. In Breaking Point, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is glad to catch up with old friend Lyle Pendergast, but then the man goes missing and is named a suspect in the death of two EPA employees. All signs point to Lyle’s guilt, but the more Joe digs into the case, the more he realizes he’s stepped into the middle of a deadly power play.

In he beginning, it seemed like it was going to be a cowboy tale. Then there was a mystery about what happened to a friend and neighbor. Then there was murder. There were twists and turns with the EPA getting involved and overstepping the boundaries. This story kept my attention to the end. I really enjoyed listening to it, and would recommend it highly.

Crescent Dawn: A Dirk Pitt Novel

In A.D. 327, a Roman galley barely escapes a pirate attack with its extraordinary cargo. In 1916, a British warship mysteriously explodes in the middle of the North Sea. In the present day, a cluster of important mosques in Turkey and Egypt are wracked by explosions. Does anything tie them together? NUMA director Dirk Pitt is about to find out.

What could be better than listening to Scott Brick read me a Cussler story while I'm driving? Crescent Dawn is a tale of the Mid-East with plenty of edge-of-the-seat moments for Dirk Pitt and company, including an incredibly beautiful woman (of course). A man is attempting to raise the Ottoman Empire and find a rumored mysterious "Manifesto" that may change history as we know it. Fast moving action and an intriguing story line kept my interest beginning to end.

Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon

Garrison Keillor's latest book is about the wedding of a girl named Dede Ingebretson, who comes home from California with a guy named Brent. Dede has made a fortune in veterinary aromatherapy; Brent bears a strong resemblance to a man wanted for extortion who's pictured on a poster in the town's post office. Then there's the memorial service for Dede's aunt Evelyn, who led a footloose and adventurous life after the death of her husband 17 years previously.

I put off listening to this because I've listened to Garrison Keillor before, and although I have enjoyed him, I've been into more action/adventure lately and planned to listen to another one. While scrolling through my Audible books I ran across "Pontoon" and decided it was time for a change of pace. I'm so glad I did. Life in Lake Wobegon is quite interesting. The characters are carefully drawn and make you feel like these are people you could know. It was sad, happy, and funny. If you ever lived in a small town, this will bring back memories of those days. However, it is a story anybody can immensely enjoy. Loved it.

Orphan Train: A Novel

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse.... As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

There were some less than complimentary reviews, but I found this story fascinating. There were two stories interwoven, each quite interesting. One was about an actual orphan train child, now in her golden years. The other was about a troubled young woman who met the older lady through her sentence to perform community service. I liked everything about this book. Don't pass it up just because a few didn't like it so much.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Jonathan Safran Foer's best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated, wowed critics on its way to winning several literary prizes, including Book of the Year honors from the Los Angeles Times. It has been published in 24 countries and will soon be a major motion picture. Foer's talent continues to shine in this sometimes hilarious and always heartfelt follow-up.

This book had humor, and a good story about a boy with an unusual mind. Easy listening, and light enough to enjoy. I would recommend this book to most people who are interested in other humans. I may even listen to it again.

Black Cross

It is January 1944 - and as Allied troops prepare for D day, Nazi scientists develop a toxic nerve gas that will repel and wipe out any invasion force. To salvage the planned assault, two vastly different but equally determined men are sent to infiltrate the secret concentration camp where the poison gas is being perfected on human subjects. Their only objective: destroy all traces of the gas and the men who created it - no matter how many lives may be lost...including their own.

Jim &#34;The Impatient&#34; says:"They Might Be Scum, But they were German Scum"

I didn't give this one 5 stars, not because the writing was flawed, but because it was just so intense and brutal in the descriptions of what happened to Jews and others in concentration camps and on the battlefield. It certainly is a book that will stay with me for awhile, but it's not a pleasant memory. War isn't pretty, but this was a little much for me.

The Camel Club

It exists at the fringes of Washington, D.C., has no power, and consists solely of four eccentric and downtrodden members whom society has forgotten. Their simple goal is to find the "truth" behind their country's actions.

This is a story about a group of patriots who want to protect the country. They see the murder of a government agent and the perpetrators. From this point on, the tension rises as the perpetrators hunt down the witnesses and pursue their conspiracy to murder the president.

I liked it, but didn't love it, not because of any fault in the writing, but it just wasn't the type of book I'm usually interested in. Maybe because of the situation our world is in today, and the fear that something like this could really happen.

Haunted Ground

When farmers cutting turf in an Irish peat bog make a grisly discovery, the perfectly intact body of a young woman with long red hair, archaeologist Cormac O'Callaghan and pathologist Nora Gavin are thrown together by their shared scientific interest in human remains. Because of the preservative effect of the bog, it is difficult to tell whether the body has lain there for two decades, two centuries, or two millennia.

And One Last Thing...

Lacey Terwilliger's shock and humiliation over her husband's philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike's company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike's family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend", Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town and a media punch line....

I was hooked when I listened to the sample. She wrote a searing letter about her husband, whom she had just learned was having an affair, in e-mail and hit "send to all." The fun starts there. There were sad moments, but for the most part this was about a woman who learned very quickly how to stand on her own two feet and go on. Really enjoyed it.

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